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Local sixth-formers discuss Brexit at Parliament Week event

90 sixth-form students from 9 different schools in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire joined academics, researchers and politicians to discuss the UK's changing relationship with the European Union.

The event, which took place on Thursday 17 November started with a workshop for sixth form students led by staff and students from the Department of Politics and International Relations, which explored key moments and policy tensions in Britain’s relationship with Europe from the end of the Second World War to the present day.

The workshop was followed by a panel discussion at the historic Convocation House, a 17th Century building which was used as a meeting place for the House of Commons during the Engligh Civil War.

The panel included Rt HonKenneth Clarke MP, Will Straw, (Executive Director of the Stronger In campaign); Caroline Lees, (Editor of the Reuters Institute’s European Journalism Observatory) and BBC journalist Chris Bowlby. They were questioned on the EU-UK relationship and Brexit by the audience of sixth-formers. Questions were wide ranging, and discussions between the students and the panellists continued long after the end of the event.

Dr Elizabeth Frazer, Head of the Department of Politics and International Relations said: ‘This event is giving young people the chance to talk about some of the implications of Britain leaving the European Union, something that will have a huge effect on their lives over the coming decades. We are delighted that Kenneth Clarke, who has made Europe a core interest during his career spanning nearly half a century, agreed to speak at the event. We hope it helped foster their interest in politics and current affairs and, hopefully, some of them might even consider studying it university. At the very least, it should help them understand a bit more about the workings of government.’